THE debate over the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park has taken another turn. Animal rights activists with the ‘Empty the Carriage’ campaign are encouraging riders to get out, but some are calling this move harassment.

“They’ll try to tell customers that the animals are abused, or that the horses are working 14 hours a day, or that they’re not fed…all sorts of things,” says horse carriage driver Gareth Smith.

“So when they tell that customer ‘get out, and don’t pay’, they’re not volunteering money to keep up the horse,” added Craig Shelton of Friends of NYC Carriage Horse.

‘Empty the Carriage’ defends the practice, in a written statement, saying,

“Empty the Carriages is having great success with our tactics of educating tourists about the cruelties and danger inhered in NYC’s reckless carriage horse industry. The carriage drivers falsely accuse us of ‘harassing’ these tourists when it is clear they were eager to get off the carriage.”

“The children were looking at the horses, and we were making sure that they had water…it’s very visible that they weren’t stressed,” said tourist Diana Heffernan.

A debate comes at the time of the year when tourists line up along Central Park for hours to mark the iconic New York experience off of their bucket list.

The group is planning another rally on Sunday, where they plan to form a ‘human chain’ near the entrance to the Park to support animal rights.

Hmmm, what do you think about Empty the Carriage’s tactic?
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A carriage horse is led down the ramp at the West Side Stables in New York City. (Amy Pearl/WNYC)

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Thanks to the tireless efforts of Edgar’s Mission and the folks at Horse Shepherd Rehabilitation Center, an orphaned foal named Custard has been given a second chance to grow up with a loving mother. For those of you who are meeting Custard for the first time, here is a little background about our hero.

Custard’s mother is a thoroughbred mare who was ripped away from her baby and forced to foster another foal. Custard was only two-and-a-half weeks old when this happened. This is common practice in many facets of the husbandry industry and one that leaves many animals without mothers.

Thankfully Edgar’s Mission took charge of Custard and got in touch with the Horse Shepherd Rehabilitation Center. As luck would have it, the rehabilitation center had a mare who had recently lost her own foal to natural causes. When we left Custard, she was on her way to meet Meg in the hopes that she and her foster mother would accept each other.

Custard and Edgars Mission Director Pam Ahern (pictured at top) stepped in to give Custard the reassurance and love she needed until a long-term home could be found for the foal. Thanks to the loving team at Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary, she was able to be bonded with foster mare, Megs, who is now giving her everything she needs to grow into a happy and healthy horse.

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ABOUT THE ARTIST AND HORSES

Laura writes:

When I discovered the Friesian horse, I couldn’t believe such a magical creature existed. They were like something out of a DaVinci painting, and I knew wanted one in my life. I once heard someone say, “there’s nothing like the heart of a stallion.” Having grown up with the typical stallion stereotypes, that they are mean, aggressive and dangerous, I wondered if this was true? What started as a dream, and a single stallion stallion, evolved into a bachelor herd of three, affectionately known as The Forest Boyz. This little dream took on a life of it’s own and has become so much bigger than I ever imagined.

Meike, Menno and Saphire live free in the forests of the northern California coast. Nothing brings me more joy than giving these three stallions the best life that I possibly can. It is rare to see stallions living together free, in a natural setting. I love discovering who they are, and seeing their individual personalities emerge. I not only discovered there is nothing like the heart of a stallion, I found out there is nothing like being their friend. I never could have imagined their relationships with each other would be so deep and intimate.

I actually consider myself more of an artist than I do a photographer, but I feel caught between the two worlds. I started photographing for reference material for painting, but I can’t seem to find the time to paint… the camera has become my paintbrush. The Boyz inspire me every single day and my passion is to make art with them and offer a glimpse into their world. They truly are good medicine.

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